A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Good Country People Analysis

1173 Words5 Pages
Flannery O'Connor's stories “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, and “Good Country People” both present very similar themes. Within these stories is the theme of redemption, and the way relationships affect the way people interact with each other seem to be a core issue she struggles with. Both stories have a protagonist that have to deal with some type of villain who has little to no belief, while their presence of faith that there is good in people gets them into the horrible situations that they find themselves in. She uses some of the same aspects in both stories in very different ways. The characters are a big part of her stories, the conflicts that arise in the story, and the symbolism that is used. This paper will explore how faith can lead…show more content…
Then you have a grandmother, who is always looking back on the old days and a slight sense of wonder. From what O'Connor gives the reader in their descriptions, there is not much similarities happening. However, under the surface of these characters the reader can see that both characters are somewhat shallow and do not see this about themselves. Hulga, even though she is highly educated she is a believer in nothing, all she knows is what to say and when to say it. This becomes obvious when she is completely shocked with Manly's behavior changes from a good fashion Bible salesman. When in reality he does not believe a word of what he is selling, “I hope you don't think I believe that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn't born yesterday,” (O'Connor 204). The Grandmother, at the same time, thinks of herself as a good person. However, the reader sees a different side of her. Here, she seems like an angry, somewhat racist old lady. It takes until she is seconds from dying to really make her a good person, and to see how she had not been in the passed. During her time with Misfit, she begs for her own life, as her family gets taken one by…show more content…
Manly is out for one thing, himself. He is all about having a good time and what will benefit him the most. He believes in nothing and will do anything to seek what he is after. Misfit, however, looks at life with the lense of, “no real pleasure in life” (O'Connor 23). They both deal with the aspect of faith as well. For Misfit he seems to believe that God exists in some sense. However, he struggles to decide if he is the Man we read about in the Bible. This causes him to be put through a great deal of thinking and he becomes consumed with the thought of raising people form the dead. He says that Jesus was the only one that has raised people from the dead, and that he should never have done it because he threw everything out of balance. “If He did what he said, then it's nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him, and if He didn't then it's nothing you can do but to enjoy the few minutes you got left the best you can by killing somebody or buring down his house or doing some other meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness” (O'Connor 21). He almost blames God for the reason that he kills people, it is His fault that he threw everything off. However, Misfit never seems to enjoy his meanness no matter how many times he kills. This lack of faith is important for him as a villain, otherwise he would be much like the grandmother, believing

More about A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Good Country People Analysis

Open Document